Carolyn Penny — director, International Law Programs, School of Law and UC Davis Extension

Emma Strong — graduate student, civil and environmental engineering

Adam Thongsavat — undergraduate student and ASUCD president

Peter Yellowlees — professor, School of Medicine

As the calendar turns to 2012, UC Davis is also thinking of 2020, as in the 2020 Initiative, with three task forces ready to start their work in January.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi unveiled the initiative in September, describing the effort in her Fall Convocation address as a means by which UC Davis could create “a university that can sustain its rising trajectory through its own best efforts, leveraging support from the state but rising above the fiscal limitations we now face.”

Emphasizing that nothing is set in stone, the chancellor outlined her “broad-stroke” proposal to enroll an additional 5,000 undergraduates — a mix of California, national and international students — and hire an additional 300 faculty members.

In so doing, Katehi said, UC Davis would add diversity, nurture even greater excellence in academics and research, and boost the regional economy.

To analyze the proposal and help plan for its target implementation date of 2020, Katehi and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter have appointed three task forces — on Academic Resources, Enrollment Management and Facilities Planning.

Faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students comprise the task forces, including members nominated by the deans, Academic Senate, Academic Federation, Staff Assembly, Graduate Student Assembly and the ASUCD.

Members of all three task forces gathered Dec. 12 for a joint kickoff meeting.

"We introduced them to the guiding principles and the process that the university will follow in contemplating the chancellor’s proposal,” said Professor Ken Burtis, faculty adviser to the chancellor and provost. Watch a video of the kickoff meeting.

“The administration and the task forces will be consulting widely with campus constituencies,” Burtis said. “We recognize clearly that this proposal impacts every part of the campus.”

‘Tightly interwoven’ planning process

In a letter to the members, Katehi and Hexter cited the “tightly interwoven” nature of the work of the task forces, and the work of senate and administration groups that also are examining the proposal.

“For example, decisions about enrollment will drive considerations of faculty hiring, and both of these will drive discussions regarding the physical infrastructure of the campus,” Katehi and Hexter wrote. “Likewise, academic resource decisions will drive discussions of enrollment and hiring as we align campus strengths and potential with the need to recruit the best and brightest students from California and beyond.”

In introducing the initiative, Katehi stressed a transparent planning process. Similarly, the chancellor and Hexter told the task force members: “The process we envision will enable complete transparency and constant communication between the various groups working on the initiative to ensure this integration is reflected in the advice generated by these groups.”

Katehi and Hexter said they anticipate that each task force will meet up to twice monthly from January to June, at which time they will present their initial recommendations in the form of written reports that will be shared broadly with the campus administration, Academic Senate, Academic Federation, faculty, students and the campus community.

The university also anticipates an ongoing conversation with neighbors, supporters and the broader UC Davis community.

The task forces will continue to meet on a regular basis to provide advice on issues that may arise during the early stages of the implementation process, and to assist in the analysis of initial outcomes.